Bechtel Completes Major Transportation Projects on Both U.S. Coasts -- re>
SAN FRANCISCO, July 30 /PRNewswire/ --

Bechtel Completes Major Transportation Projects on Both U.S. Coasts

SAN FRANCISCO, July 30 /PRNewswire/ -- Bechtel this month celebrated
coast-to-coast achievements with the completion of Washington State's New
Narrows bridge and Virginia's Springfield Interchange, two major
contributions to their respective state's transportation infrastructure.
On July 16, the first motorists from the Kitsap Peninsula of Washington
crossed the longest suspension span built in the United States within the
past four decades. The New Narrows Bridge was built by a joint venture of
Bechtel and Kiewit Pacific and lies just south of Seattle. Stretching over
1,600 meters, the new bridge stands next to an existing bridge built in the
1950s, both connecting Tacoma with Gig Harbor and the Peninsula.
Washington Governor Christine Gregoire called the new bridge an amazing
engineering accomplishment and hailed the people working on the project as
"the finest work force to be found anywhere in the world."
Just two days later and almost 3,000 miles away, Bechtel closed out its
construction management work on Virginia's Springfield Interchange. At the
interchange, Interstates 95 and 395 meet the Capital Beltway, I-495. The
interchange's 50 ramps and bridges handle 430,000 vehicles a day. Traffic
volumes are expected to increase to 500,000 vehicles per day by 2020.
The new design and expansion of one of the busiest crossroads on the
East Coast will allow safer and easier connections among the highways. The
project was built in seven phases over eight years using 43,000 tons of
steel, 100,000 cubic yards of concrete, and 750,000 tons of asphalt.
Gov. Tim Kaine hailed the Springfield Interchange Improvement Project
as "a stellar example of what the Commonwealth and the community can
achieve together." He added, "It is greatly improving the quality of life
for nearly half a million motorists a day."
Mike Adams, President of Bechtel Civil, stated, "We couldn't be prouder
of these projects and the people who built them. They show what can happen
when the public and private sector set great goals, and work together to
accomplish them."
Bechtel is one of the world's premier engineering, construction, and
project management companies. Since its founding in 1898, Bechtel has
worked on more than 22,000 projects in 140 countries, including many
notable highways, bridges, rail lines, transit systems, and other civil
infrastructure. For more information about Bechtel, visit
http://www.bechtel.com.